Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-03-18
A Keminiscence of Henry Ward Beecber
in Burlington.

|
in Burlington.
tBy Rev. X. II. Howard,1
Henry Ward Beecher's first appearance
in Burlington was on the lecture platform
in the fall of 1850 He was then in his
early prime, physically and intellectually,
and withal, in the first flush of that rising
fame, AS an orator, that was fast becoming
national. An audience completely crowd
ing the old town hall gave the lecturer an
enthusiastic reception. His theme for the
evening was "Patriotism" This topic,
however, served only as convenient
hook on which to hang whatever he felt
moved to say relative to the country, the
times, society, politics, and what not.
The lecture, as an oratorical effort, was
not only eminently Beecheresque, but was
in many respects the most extraordinary
specimen of oratory to which it was ever
my fortune to listen. The Rev. James
Caughey, the celebrated revvalist, and
himself pulpit orator of no mean rank,
was present on the occasion, and after
ward SAID to the writer, that he had heard
most OF the great orators of both con-
tlnents, and he had never heard the equal
of that Grafton in lifetime. Mr. Beecher
certainly seemed to be at his best He
was humorous, pathetic and overwhelm-
ing by turns. He strobe the platform
from end to end He eXpounded to the
right, and he explained to the left, and he
protested and affirmed to the centre
of his crowded and enraptured congrega
ton. He swept and swayed us as do
autumnal blasts the trees of the forests
We cried, we shouted, we yielded to peal
on peal OF uproarlous laughter, helplessly
obedlent to the merest caprice of the
| matchless magician of the platform. He
was especially irresistible as he fully freed
his mind relative to the follies of the old
| fogylsm of the day, whether political, So
cial or clerical. Never did the inhuman-
lty OF fossil conservatism meet with such
unmeasured rebuke; never were the
cheap, but strutting pretensions of a
shoddy aristocracy or of the young Amer
lea of the time impaled with such merci-
less, whitening ridicule. There was al
most no popular weakness which he did
not lay bare; almost no sensibility or
emotion, in the minds of his hearers to
which he did not, and with the hand of IA
master, address himself.
Mr.. Beecher must have impressed his
audience on this occasion that one grand
secret OF his oratory was his tremendous
vitality. BY iteration, personal positive
ness, resistless and magnetic energy of
assertion, he pressed his ideas upon his
spell-bound hearers until the latter could
not well but be thoroughly Informed with
them.
| also well remember the luxuriant
plOluSlOu vi HIS metaphor. NO mat
ter what the topic, there was always
an illustration ready for every point
sometimes homely, sometimes lofty and
poetic but always charming, enriched
with profussion of adjectives and withal
delivered with confidence that at least
Tor the time being carried unquestoned
conviction to the mind of the delighted
listeners.
Still another element of oratorical DOW
er with Mr. Beecher, as evinced remark
ably in connection with the effort of that
evening, was his fearlessness the splendid
boldness with which he assailed what he
esteemed to be error or an abuse, how
ever popular, or however entrenched in
the businesses of hoary or time honored
prejudice. He could not have been I'M
mindful of the fact that in what he was
saying, he was driving his plow share of
criticism ruthlessly, remorselessly and di-
rectly through many of the most fondly
cherished posey beds Of opinion. But he
never tlinched or hesitated. With the mace
OF Hercules, as 1t was, he "waded ill.,"
careless of the heads he hit, intent only
on demolishing the wrong. This very
dauntlessness meantime, was wonderful
ly fascinating if not in the eyes of
young yet of the new America of that
day ;whlle the Irresistible good humor with
which he made some of his most scathng
sallles, made friends even of those he wor.
ried most.
There is no question in my own mind
but that in this lecture. Mr.. Beecher W as
at his very best, that this effort was. at the
time, one of his oratorcal master pieces
The next evening, being unexpectedly de-
tanned IN town over another night he
spoke in the old White street Congrega.
tlonal church, and to an audience that at
% cents head nearly crowded that state
ly edlfice, but the speaker, on this occa-
sion, was quite another man-an ordinary
mortal He made no effort to reproduce
the effects, or to realize the triumphant
success OF intervening before. | have of
ten heard Mr. Beecher since that memoir
able evening, but he has never equalled
that first performance in Burlington 80
long years ago. Whenever it has been my
pleasure to hear Mr.. Beecher lecture, late
years, 1t has been his custom to speak from
behind a modest reading desk, and to read
his address from full notes, and as quietly,
with as little demonstration as any other
public speaker.
But now alas, that magnificent voice is
hushed in death It's like will probably
be never heard among us again. Fortunate
those who have had the privilege of listen
ing to 1t at least once, and especially when
at its best. 5. w. Hlgginson once said
that ne pitied our people OF coming gene
ratlons-they could never hear John b.
Cough. More especially are they to be
pltled since they can never hear one in
most respects indefinitely greater than
even Gough-one, however, whose name
may most fittingly be coupled with the
latter-Henty Ward Beecher
PLEURO-PNEUMONI SCARE.